This invention relates generally to shock isolators and more specifically to a barrel elastomer mount that provides compressive support to an article while attenuating shock and vibrational forces through shear and tension forces within the elastomer.
Generally, the shape and configuration of elastomeric isolators have a significant effect on the shock and vibration attenuation characteristics of the elastomeric isolators. The elastomeric isolators employed in the prior art are commonly formed into geometric 3D shapes, such as spheres, squares, right circular cylinders, cones, rectangles and the like as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,720. These elastomeric isolators are typically attached to a housing to protect equipment within the housing from the effects of shock and vibration.
The prior art elastomeric isolators are generally positioned to rely on an axial compression of the elastomeric material or on tension or shear of the elastomeric material. Generally, if the elastomeric isolator is positioned in the axial compressive mode the ability of the elastomeric isolator to attenuate shock and vibration is limited by the compressive characteristics of the material. On the other hand, in the axial compressive mode the elastomeric isolators can be used to provide static support to a housing, which allows a single elastomeric isolator to be placed beneath the housing to support the static weight of the housing.
In general, if the elastomeric isolators are positioned in the shear or tension mode as opposed to an axial compression mode the elastomeric isolators provide better shock and vibration attenuating characteristics in response to dynamic forces due to shock and vibration. Unfortunately, elastomeric isolators, which operate in a shear or tension mode or in the axial compression mode, can generally not be placed beneath a housing to provide static support to the housing without substantially effecting the shock and vibration attenuation characteristics of the elastomeric isolators. Consequently, to provide static support for a housing, as well as effective shock and vibration attenuation characteristics the elastomeric isolators, which operate in the shear or tension mode, are generally placed along side or above a housing so that the elastomeric isolators can function in a shear or tension mode while supporting the static weight of the housing. The positioning in a shear or tension mode can require placing matching elastomeric isolators on each side of the housing. In contrast, the present invention provides an elastomeric isolator that provides axial offset compressive support for a housing. As the present invention does not require paring with other elastomeric isolators a single elastomeric isolator can be placed beneath a housing to provide static support for the housing through an axial offset compressive axis while at the same time allowing the elastomeric isolator to retain the necessary dynamic attenuation characteristics to thereby effectively reduce shock and vibration to the housing.
Briefly, the invention comprises a barrel elastomer mount to create an offset in the compression path through the mount. The barrel elastomer mount is composed of an elastomeric material and has a first end and a second end with a side wall located between the first end and the second end of the barrel elastomer mount. The side wall of the barrel elastomer mount extends outwardly from the center of the barrel with the horizontal midpoint of the side wall extending radially outward sufficiently far to prevent the wall of the barrel elastomer mount from buckling while simultaneously attenuating dynamic forces applied to the mount.